Dodger

Another nice chapter. I've always liked Stevie anyway.

That school must be even worse than San Quentin for poor Jimmy. I feel for this kid the same as Brandon does.

Thanks, @mg777 so much for your comment. When I first started posting this story I was skeptical because there were already a lot of similar stories out there. I never imagined that it would go on this long (I've extended the story from its original length by adding extra chapters here and there) or be this popular. The additional chapters have taken the story in a slightly different direction but the ending will have to be the same. I don't want to give too much away but it's not bad and I have been toying with the idea of a sequel. After all, Robbie will only be sixteen when this story ends!

Thank you for sharing this. I admire you both for your honesty and for giving us this quick peek into your lives. The dominant thing has been something that I've never really been able to understand and I still don't quite get it but I know that it's not about hurting someone or being hurt. This must be a popular misconception.

Nice chapter, introducing Stevie. I like Brandon's take on his new relationship with his girl 'friend' Marie, but maybe he should explain his feelings to her and let her decide if that's what she wants out of this.

I'm glad that Jamie managed to talk to Brandon alone. For a while, I thought that Marie wasn't going to allow her brother the chance to explain to Brandon. His friends are real jerks though and I fell for poor Jimmy. Out of all the characters in the Billy Chase/Brandon stories, it's Jimmy who always seems to get treated the worst. He takes a real battering throughout. No one deserves a slice of luck more than he does, maybe at Billy's expense.

That was a cool date for the pair; nothing too romantic but Marie will want to move forward from here and Brandon only wants her as a friend. Unless there have the same goals from the beginning it cannot work I'm afraid.

Happy Birthday, Emi. Have a good day, the pictures are great!

The fire drill was fun and so was the chat with his dad. I hope that his date goes well but not too well. Will he be able to keep Billy out of his mind for an entire evening?

Well done Brandon for talking to Jamie and pointing out what he obviously wasn't able to see. I couldn't imagine Jamie leading him into a trap. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Marie.

A boyfriend who's a girl doesn't sound very good to me but Brandon is totally obsessed with Billy. He needs to make some kind of a move before it drives him crazy. It's been a long time since I read the early books of Billy Chase which is probably good because I can't remember the finer details. Great job.

Don't do it, Brandon, girls are not your thing and we all know that Billy's also barking up the wrong tree with straight Simon.

I'm a fan of Jamie Cross, we'll have to see about his sister. I like the references to smells which are of course very important as far as our memory is concerned. I can remember certain smells from my childhood that are more powerful than the memory itself.

Nice chapter, I feel for Brandon and for JOEseph too. Now he can concentrate on Billy. Not AJ please!

I'm glad to see Brandon not chickening out and his poem was really cool. Who wouldn't be impressed? He must know now that Billy's interested.

All good Emi. We're ready for the final installment!

Thank you, @spikey582 for this wonderful feedback on the story. First of all yes, I think that Robbie definitely feels like an outsider in the family, despite Nicola's recent 'U' turn and undoubted efforts from Sue to make him feel a part of the family. It does take a while for this to happen and it can't be forced. Robbie hasn't helped by putting up his own mental barriers but eventually, even these will be broken down. Robbie has used the situation to his own advantage causing friction with Nicola and we know now, Daniel. The way that he has used people isn't too dissimilar to what Alex has done. A watered down version perhaps. Clearly, Don has serious issues and we already know that he is homophobic, but Robbie convinced him in the past that he was straight and Don still believes this. It doesn't excuse his deplorable reaction, but he sees their relationship as purely sexual and in his mind 'deviant'. In actual fact, their relationship has been quite tame, with very little sex. It would be interesting of course to see what happened after Robbie left and what has been said but the story is told through Robbie's eyes and we only know what he knows. We will find out more soon though. Thanks again spikey.

Alex is very self-centered but not entirely. There are exceptions, for example, the way that he takes care of his younger brother, which is more parental than brotherly. Robbie knows that Alex will take whatever he can get because that's the way he's been brought up, but he also knows that Alex has a soft spot for him and will look after him. It is a dangerous game to play but necessary as far as Robbie is concerned. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks, @Magicstate There seems to be almost an even split of people who like or dislike Alex, which is interesting because I didn't expect him to poll very well in the popularity stakes. He is a rogue of course, but obviously, one who Robbie believes he can trust to a certain extent, and he may be right. "Odd bedfellows" would be, I think, a very good description.

Thanks, @paul.b Glad you spotted the clue in the story description. The 'nine extraordinary months' though started with the death of his mother in England, so technically we are more like 3/4 the way through as far as the nine months is concerned. There are a few chapters remaining but the story has to finish at some point and I've already extended it in places. When I read a book I always like to know how far I am through the story and that's one of the reasons why I wrote yesterday that it's approaching the end, but it won't end all of a sudden without notice. Everyone will know the penultimate chapter, last chapter etc. Thanks for following as always Paul. Your support has been fantastic and I'll try not to post future chapters too late in the day, bearing in mind the time difference.

I don't think that there's much chance of Alex ever admitting to anyone (even himself) that he is also attracted to boys. His dad would probably throw him out, maybe his older brother too. It wouldn't go down well with his so-called friends either. Probably the only person that Alex can truly let his guard down with and be himself in front of is Robbie and they both know this. It puts Robbie in a unique position and allows him to get away with things that Alex simply wouldn't put up with from any of his 'real' friends. Robbie knows that Alex would never hurt him, except in fun of course, but as for becoming a decent person. He will probably need to get away from his family for that to happen.

Yes, it is a bit of a soap opera, which I find quite appealing. It makes it easy to jump in and out of. I've not read them all in the right order, but it didn't seem to matter and it didn't ruin the experience. I like the way that you've done this as well @MrM with 'Brandon Smiling'. I know that it's supposed to be a journal but it's cleverly done. I've had more time recently to catch up on the story and I have been reading it again from the beginning.

Thanks, @Timothy M.. You may have just written the first line of the next chapter. Only kidding, it's already done but I'm not going to tell you if you're close or not. Most people were able to guess where Robbie was heading as he didn't really have a lot of choice in the end with Nathan away. Alex makes a pretty good villain, although he redeems himself at times his friendship always comes at a cost. At least Robbie is aware of this now and is cautious around him. Except for one mistake as you point out. Drugs are never good, but Robbie should have learned from his previous visit, not to do them with Alex. Not being able to remember going to bed the night before is a little worrying with a guy like that in the next room. Walter is a good man who seemed to enjoy coming out of retirement for a few hours to help Robbie. We all know that the world needs more Walters in it and fewer Dons.

Thanks, JP @BlindAmbition This comment really made me laugh. Absolutely though, nothing more guaranteed to put you off your breakfast than listening to that first thing in the morning!

Well spotted @Benji Yes, Sue knows about Alex and she made Robbie write down Alex's address and phone number before allowing him to stay over at his house. Nicola also knows that they are friends and he stayed over at Alex's house. That was a couple of months before, but Sue would probably have kept this information and if you're looking for your son/nephew who's run away, you would try everything. Robbie will be aware of this but he also knows that Alex won't give him up to anyone who comes knocking on the door and wouldn't worry about lying to Don, Sue, or the police even.